In the beginning there was heaven and earth. Both of which I’ve crossed to get to where I am right now-on a couch in a basement somewhere in Brighton, UK. Everyone I’ve met in Brighton so far has been very nice and welcoming. Two different households have welcomed us in, first Tom and Company in the Hannover neighborhood, and now Sanya and Company in the Hollingdean neighborhood. This is our first full-fledged CouchSurfing experience and I have nothing but great things to say about it so far. These incredible people have brought us into their homes, fed us, offered us a bed (or couch!), showed us around, given us tips on cheap train tickets ($9.60 instead of $32 for a round trip between London and Brighton) and generally been good souls to us. In return I’ve cooked one dinner and pulled a front yard’s-worth of weeds. But I don’t think I can ever really repay them. They are saving us about $300 in hotel costs by taking us in. The thing I’m realizing about CouchSurfing is it’s kinda like pay-it-forward for traveling–someone helps you out, and in turn you help out the next person, and all together you make the community stronger and the world friendlier. And I think that’s about all anyone can hope for nowadays.